This post may contain affiliate links. See full disclosure page here. Your support is much appreciated and helps keep this site running. Thank you for being here!
I’ve been meaning to post about pressure cooker bone broth for a while, and per usual I forgot. Right now everyone is thinking of ways to use up their Thanksgiving leftovers. Well don’t throw out that turkey carcass. If you are like me, you’re just over it and want it out of the house, but it’s worth the little bit of hassle, I promise. I might be too late and should have posted this a few days ago but you can still keep it in mind next time you make a bird or bone-in roast. I’m sorry vegetarians but you’ll probably want to stop reading if you accidentally landed here. How about a chimichurri sauce recipe instead?
I like to to use every last scrap of food. I absolutely hate wasting anything. Besides not being wasteful, bone broth is delicious and can be used in a million different ways later. Yes ONE MILLION. So here is an easy way to make bone broth in your pressure cooker.
Why Make Bone Broth?
For starters, it’s just tasty. Bone broth is an awesome base for all sorts of recipes, not just soups. It’s also loaded with minerals like calcium and phosphorus, and high in protein. The connective tissue provides collagen and glucosamine. I’m not here to make any medical claims, I just love the stuff. Some people say it can help with joint pain and their skin but I haven’t researched that very much. However I do know it is definitely nourishing to your body, and it’s soothing to an irritated gut lining. Plain bone broth is perfect when you are sick, especially if you have no appetite. There is a reason your mama always made you chicken soup when you had the flu.
See my list of the best foods for colds and flu here.
Bone Broth Ingredients
Well first you need bones obviously. Some people buy them specifically for broth, things like beef shin bones or chicken feet. You can use any animal bones, but the more cartilage the better. Aromatics like onions, garlic, or herbs are usually added, and a little bit of vinegar to help pull out minerals and help break down connective tissue. I use eggshells too. I’m not sure how much scientific merit there is but it’s supposed to provide more calcium and hyaluronic acid. Anything you think would taste good in a soup goes well. I usually keep it very basic. You can always add flavors later for your specific recipes.
I don’t buy bones just for broth, I take bones from various meals and stash them in a ziplock bag in the freezer. In this case I used the Thanksgiving turkey carcass. Same with veggie scraps like carrot peels, onion ends, celery leaves, etc. Just stash them in a bag in the freezer until you have enough for a batch. If you make chicken wings, drumsticks, bone in steaks, or ribs, save them! If you do buy uncooked bones you will want to roast them on a sheet pan first for better flavor.
I don’t add any salt to my broth until I need to. It’s too easy to overdo it then it will be ruined. It’s just not needed. Season to taste right before eating.
Ways To Make Bone Broth
In general you cook bone broth low and slow until the bones are crumbly. Strain the bones and that’s it. A good bone broth will be almost solid and jiggly like Jello at room temp.
There are a few ways you can do this: stovetop, slow cooker, or pressure cooker which is the purpose of this article and we’ll get into more detail below. I suppose you could use the oven too. I usually use my slow cooker or pressure cooker because leaving my stovetop on for 24 hours sounds like a good way to burn my house down. Yes it takes 24 hours. I’ve even done it for longer in the slow cooker. I can get it down to as low as 7 with the pressure cooker.
Bone Broth Storage Tips
I’ll get into the full process below, but I always suggest reducing your bone broth down to concentrate it as much as possible. I mean REALLY reduce it. Sometimes I will simmer a full soup pot down to less than a quart. Then you can just freeze it in tiny containers or an ice cube tray. This means even if you barely have any freezer space you can still make bone broth. It’s easy to reconstitute when you use it. Just add the water back in when you cook with it. Why take up your entire freezer with mostly water? I have an extra freezer in my garage but to me it’s wasted space to have 2 gallons of bone broth in there when you can reduce it down to 1/8 of that. I didn’t actually do any math but I think you get what I mean.
Making Bone Broth In the Pressure Cooker
First, place your bones and any aromatics in the pot. Cover with water completely and add 2 tbsp of vinegar.
Seal the pressure cooker lid and cook on high for 45 minutes. Do not vent. Let the broth rest on warm for 1.5 hours. Repeat this process 3 times.
You can also cook on high pressure for 1 hour, with a 2 hour rest period and repeat. I have experimented with times and there’s not much of a difference. The important thing is you have intermittent cooking and resting. The amount of time can vary. Like if you forget to turn it back on for longer than 2 hours it’s no big deal. It stays pretty hot and will still slowly cook the bones.
After a few cycles of cooking and rest time, check your broth when it’s cool enough to handle. If the bones are crumbling, that’s what you want. If they are still hard, do another cycle. Make sure there’s still enough liquid to cover the bones.
Once you’re satisfied with the bones being cooked, it’s time to strain. I use my large colander first, and then I do one more pass through my fine mesh strainer to catch smaller bits. Push out as much broth as possible and return to your pressure cooker or a pot on the stove. Now you’re going to reduce the broth as mentioned above until you are satisfied with the volume. You can skip this part if you’re using it right away.
Cook on medium heat, uncovered, until reduced significantly. If still using the pressure cooker, you can use it uncovered on sauté. Just keep an eye on it and stir frequently to avoid scorching the bottom.
Slow cooker: add all bones and aromatics and cover with enough water. Don’t add salt yet, you want to do that later. Cover and cook on low heat for 24 hours. Check on it occasionally and add more water if needed. When it’s done the bones should be soft and crumble easily. If not, cook it longer.
Finally, and this is optional, you want to fully cool your broth and skim off the fat. You don’t have to do this if you don’t want but I don’t like freezing it with all the fat.
Pour into small containers or ice cube trays and freeze. You can pop the cubes out into a large freezer bag for easier storage once they are fully frozen.
Pull out cubes for sipping, sauces, soups and stews. Add water back in as needed. I love bone broth in my Thai Coconut Curry Soup Recipe here.
Check out my bone broth highlights on Instagram for a quick visual tutorial.
As for what kind of electronic pressure cooker to use, I have one that isn’t even made anymore. Most people love their Instant Pot.
Great tips! Bone broth is one of the most healing foods for when you are a bit run down during the winter.
Great post! I love bone broth and make it often. So nourishing!
Bone broths are very expensive in the grocery stores. It great that you showed us that we can easily make our own broth at home. Never thought of using a pressure cooker to make broth. Thanks for sharing this unique bone broth method.
Great tips for bone broth making. Such a nutritious concoction that is deeply flavorful!